NWTC and Aspen Institute partner to strengthen career guidance and student outcomes

MARINETTE – To help students find success, NWTC has joined a college network the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program is expanding.

“At a time when northeast Wisconsin is experiencing both workforce shortages and rapid changes in industry, we saw an opportunity to strengthen the connection between what students learn and the opportunities that will lead to family-sustaining wages. Partnering with Aspen allows us to build on our strengths while leveraging proven strategies,” said Erica Plaza, chief marketing officer and public information officer at NWTC.

The Aspen Institute, a nonprofit, hosts the program Unlocking Opportunity. The program coincides with workforce transitions, population declines among 18- to 25-year-olds, rising education costs and the emergence of Wisconsin’s Direct Admit program, which could affect how many students pursue coursework at NWTC.

Following NWTC’s announcement of a reorganization involving six new academic colleges, NWTC joined the Aspen Institute, Plaza said.

“Both are about creating clarity and alignment for students, and our industry partners. By organizing programs into six focused colleges, NWTC is helping students see clearer connections between what they are studying and where it leads in the workforce. The Aspen partnership builds on that structure by layering in data, advising and career outcomes, ensuring that each pathway is tightly aligned with workforce needs and long-term student success. Together, these efforts make it easier for students to thrive in college and graduate into strong career opportunities.”

NWTC also was named to the Aspen Institute’s Top 10 list of community colleges nationally for its focus on student outcomes. While NWTC works with area businesses and school districts to stay abreast of local employment and career-tech trends, the Aspen Institute provides national research on trends in higher education and employment.

“This initiative is about more than reforming our own programs — it’s about sharing what works, driving innovation and learning alongside others to create the strongest possible pathways for students, said NWTC President Kristen Raney in an announcement.

Aspen Institute learns from the schools it partners with and plans to use this information to provide professional development to higher education decision-makers, said Millicent Bender, director of leadership and field engagement at Aspen Institute.

“We are really excited to be working with NWTC,” Bender said. “We’re very eager to see what they do next to strengthen outcomes even further with this focus,” she said. NWTC is one of 54 colleges joining the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program’s Unlocking Opportunity network.

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, another of Wisconsin 16 technical colleges, was one of 10 colleges selected to pilot the program. It received the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the top prize in a national contest. It provided a $700,000 prize to the school. The selection panel noted the college’s 54% graduation rate is substantially higher than the national average of 35%.

For NWTC, participating in the three-year Unlocking Opportunity program involves assessing current NWTC programs and setting goals for improvement. “Partnering with Aspen allows us to build on our strengths while leveraging proven strategies that have worked at leading institutions across the country,” Plaza said.

It’s expected to result in stronger pathways to careers where students achieve the economic mobility, stability and resilience they need to succeed, Plaza said.
To select colleges for the network, Aspen looked at the number of students pursuing high-value programs and compared it with those not pursuing a living wage, she said. “We’re looking at what wages are for graduates and we’re looking at strong programs that are setting students up for success to transfer to a four-year institution,” Bender said.

Together, the effort helps to ensure career-tech students are prepared for the next stage in their career or education when they leave the technical college. NWTC is taking a long-term view by preparing students to adapt as jobs change, Plaza said. “

The focus is not on preparing students for a single job, but on equipping them with the skills, credentials and adaptability to thrive over a lifetime of work and opportunity,” Plaza said.

This means teaching students critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills, which are part of NWTC’s Institutional Learning Outcomes, she said.

At NWTC, “Every student’s goals, talents and passions are unique, and we are committed to helping them align what they love with pathways that support their economic opportunity and social mobility,” Plaza said. “While labor market data can highlight fields with the strongest opportunities, we also work closely with employers to ensure our programs continually add value and prepare graduates for meaningful careers.”

Aspen also is helping technical colleges consider programs for returning adult learners.

“We’re not focused on a particular age of student. We’re helping colleges identify where there’s an opportunity for new programs,” Bender said. Many returning students are looking for skills-based courses to help them advance their careers. “They’re looking for a shorter credential, something they can complete more quickly,” she said, noting that many balance coursework with work and raising a family.

To help students make informed career decisions, Aspen asks technical colleges to think about how they’re onboarding students to ensure the students receive career advising upfront to understand the options that exist in their area and nationally, Bender said. Whether students are willing to relocate can be an important factor in deciding what pathway to pursue, she said.

For example, whether to offer a golf management program might depend on whether the technical college’s students are willing to move to an area where they might earn higher wages in golf management.

In health care, Aspen encourages technical colleges to work with students on broadening their career planning to include more than one health-care career option. Many students enter technical colleges with nursing as their goal, but nursing is a selective program. If they don’t get into nursing school, they can select another health care program, especially if they’ve been exposed to other options, Bender said.

Students may be “set up for success by earning a different health care certificate instead of sitting out a year,” she said. “We really want students to make informed decisions about what pathway they’re entering.” With more students obtaining college credit in high school through dual enrollment programs, technical colleges provide more value when they work with students early on in selecting a pathway, Bender said. “We help them learn about careers early,” she said. “NWTC is doing great work on this.”